At the beginning of this century of expedient change, the illustration was the dominant means of fashion imagery in advertisements, books and magazines. Drawings depicted pencil-thin women with virtually no waist (somethings never seem to change) artistically adorned in the latest mode. Then came photography, and a whole new spectrum opened up, allowing for a new interpretation of fashion imagery. Now, with the notorious fin-de siecle upon us, we are witness to another change in the nature of the fashion image, evolving from the crossing of two of the most powerful media of this day -- photography and digital technology.

We have already seen what digital wizardry has done for skin complexions and body-trimming, but what does it mean to the future of fashion photography? And what of realism? Will magazine editorials be created entirely on the computer screen without that $5,000/day model, Gucci velvet pants and plane tickets for stylists, make-up and hair artists, photographer and crew? Or will "authentic" film photography remain the force behind the creativity and huge success of fashion editorials and advertisements in the modern world?

According to Sally Wiener Grotta, photographer and Digital New Products Editor for Photo District News, the latter will prove true. "Photography has always been the quest to capture and portray an image. A good photographer is not defined by the technology; a photographer is a creator of pictures who uses the technology on hand as a tool. I don't think the photographer will become outmoded unless he or she cannot deal with new technology." Grotta believes that the real issue is using the technology creatively and intelligently. "[Photography] is an established area of creativity in advertising, fine arts and editorial and I don't think it's going to die for a long, long time, if ever. And I think that if one day it does, we are going to lose some very important creative input into all these fields."